A Question of Intelligence
by kezztip
Summary: When Jackie finds pot may be the reason for Kelso’s increasing stupidity, she convinces him to give it up – but how will it change her relationship with both Hyde and Kelso as he becomes smarter? Set in Season 7 COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Damn," Jackie muttered as she tapped her hair dryer sharply with the palm of her hand. "Work, you hair appliance from hell!"

"What's ruffling your tail feathers, doll?" Hyde yawned as he kicked the covers back from Jackie's bed. Since their reconciliation last month, a reconciliation that was ostensibly based on the "hotness" of their attraction, they rarely spent a night apart. Jackie's bedroom saw the most action as her mother's self-absorption made her the least vigilant parental figure.

"This stupid hair dryer has cut out again – now my hair is half straight and half curly! Steven, can you fix it for me?" she finished plaintively.

Hyde took the hair dryer from her with a serious face. He sniffed it, dabbed a wet finger onto it and tasted it then laid it onto the bed, cocked his fingers into a gun and finished it off with an imaginary bullet sound – fffshhh! He then laid a towel over it as a sign of respect for the deceased appliance.

"Thanks a lot, Mr Fix-it. Remind me never to get stranded on a desert island with you."

"If we were on a desert island, you couldn't use your hair dryer even if I could fix it," Hyde pointed out logically.

"Yeah, I know, no electricity," Jackie replied, rolling her eyes.

"No, because I'd keep you too busy "doing it" for you to have time to mess around with your hair," Steven said, tackling her to the bed and making Jackie shriek with laughter as his clever fingers found her ticklish places. Hyde stilled over Jackie's body as his eyes drank in her lovely flushed face and his body reacted to the warm skin their tumbling had uncovered from her robe.

"What are you thinking," Jackie said demurely, knowing full well what the gleam in his eyes foreshadowed.

"Just wondering how much the circus would pay me for my freakish girlfriend – step right up, folks, and take a gander at the half curly half straight haired girl!" Jackie smacked his bicep in mock outrage. "No, it looks good – it goes with your eyes. Ow! Abusive wench!" Hyde attempted to pin Jackie down but she rolled out from underneath him, knowing removal of her body would be a much greater punishment than her slaps.

"Enough of that," she said sternly. "I have to get ready for work."

Hyde groaned. "Babe, what have I told you about using the "w" word! Even though I'm all for dirty talk in the bedroom, there are limits."

"Steven, you really need to get over this work-hating-laziness thing. I mean, its kind of cute in a teenage rebel, but we're growing up now and we need to start taking our careers seriously."

"Hey, who said anything about growing up? So long as my age ends in teen I'm going to milk it for all I've got – in fact, I should be able to get away with it until at least my 21st," Hyde responded with a smirk.

Jackie hid her disappointment at this remark behind a curtain of hair but her smile was reinstated as she flipped it over her shoulder. Their break-up was still too fresh for her to bring up the issues that had prompted it.

"I guess make-up can fix my hair for me down at the station," she said, changing the subject. "But I need to find someone to repair my hair-dryer. And I don't know anyone who is good with electrical stuff… except maybe Michael."

"Kelso?" Hyde said incredulously. "That moron can't even fix a ticket – I know, he stopped me speeding last week."

"Actually, Michael used to be very good with electronics. Remember when he rigged that Pong video game so it had shorter paddles? If he can do that, how hard can a hair dryer be?"

"How hard can staying unglued to major appliances be? Not hard at all, unless you're Kelso."

"I don't think you give Michael enough credit. I'm going to ask him to fix this for me and I bet he'll surprise you," Jackie said as she finished dressing.

"A bet, hey? OK then – the loser has to be the winner's love slave for a week."

Jackie huffed impatiently. "Why do all the bets you try to finesse me into involve love slaving?"

Hyde grabbed her and kissed her with painstaking sexual intent, giving her something to think about until they would next be in each other's arms. "Because I'm no fool."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Steven, this is so stupid," complained Jackie.

"Hey, this is a simple precautionary measure which should be employed on any item Kelso has fixed."

"But – oven mitts?"

"You'll thank me later. OK, Jacks – let me just put my protective sunglasses on – right, turn it on."

Jackie clumsily turned on the hair dryer through the oven mitt as the basement gang watched warily from the sidelines. The dryer purred into action, prompting a "YEAH, Alright!" from Kelso. Jackie was just about to turn to Steven with a smug "I told you so" when a spray of sparks burst from the appliance. Jackie yelped, dropping the hair dryer onto the floor while Eric, standing by with the fire extinguisher, moved in for the kill. She instinctively moved into the safety of Hyde's arms.

"Michael, what the hell happened?" Jackie blasted.

"I don't know. It should have worked. Although that fireburst was awesome!"

"Michael, you just get dumber every year," Jackie said angrily.

"Well, there's no need to be insulting," Kelso said, taking offence.

"It's not an insult. It's a fact. Three years ago you could have fixed that machine. I remember when we first started going out you fixed my television for me. A year later you actually improved that computer game of Eric's."

"The shorter paddles?"

"Exactly! Even back in elementary school you were one of the smartest kids in your class. But nowadays you couldn't outwit a goldfish. What happened to you?"

"You know," Eric chimed in thoughtfully, "the demon does make a good point. I remember when we were kids Kelso used to win all those math prizes."

"Eric," Kelso said warningly, "Stifle, will ya – hotness and math do not go together." Eric continued, disregarding his friend.

"I guess the first time I can remember Kelso engaging in the kind of behaviour that has now made him a legend of dumbness was when he was 10 and he taped 30 firecrackers to his butt so he could beat the Apollo mission to the moon."

"That would have worked if they didn't make clothes so flammable," Kelso defended himself. "It would have been so cool – Neil Armstrong would step out of the space capsule and I'd be standing there. Instead of "one leap for mankind" everyone around the world would hear "BURN!"

After the laughter died down, Jackie returned to the main issue. "So something happened when you were 10 that started you on this downward slide. Oooh, a mystery! Don't worry, Michael, my keen detective instincts will solve this riddle. I feel just like Nancy Drew!"

"Oh, how I would like to feel Nancy Drew," dreamed Fez. "She can solve my mystery anytime."

Jackie led Kelso to the couch, motioned for him to lie down as she sat in Hyde's chair, leaning forward in full analyst pose. "So what major things happened to you when you were 10, Michael?"

"Well, the Hendersons got a new dog. Casey broke my swing set. Ummm, I got a really bad hair cut…"

"How bad?" pounced Jackie.

"We're talking pudding basin. Man, that messed me up for a couple of months."

"Interesting, but I feel there is something more," Jackie mused.

"Don't forget that was the year of one of the major experiences of our boyish lives," Eric contributed. "Remember, Hyde, you first stole Edna's stash that summer and shared it with us."

"You guys started when you were 10?" Jackie asked incredulously.

"No, of course not," Hyde reassured her. "Kelso was 10, we were 9."

"Oh my God, that's it! One of the school counsellors was lecturing on the harmful side effects of pot use in Health yesterday, and one of those side effects was it can decrease your intelligence."

"Damn education," grumbled Hyde, seeing trouble for himself ahead. "Jackie, the problem with that little theory is Eric and I started at the same time and we're not morons like Kelso – no offence, Man."

"One of the points the counsellor made was that it affects people differently – it can make you stupid," Jackie waved to her patient on the couch, "or unco-ordinated and bad at sports" with a gesture to Eric "or paranoid, Mr Government's-out-to-get-me," Jackie finished with a pointed look at Hyde. "Plus, the younger you start the stronger the effect is."

"That is the craziest theory I have ever heard," derided Hyde. "So what, I'm to blame for all my friends' faults? What did the stuff do to Fez, was he American before he first smoked?"

"Fez only started a couple of years ago and he's not as into it as you guys," Donna spoke up. "Actually, there could be something in what Jackie says. I've read some newspaper articles about studies done on teenagers that have come to similar conclusions."

"Thank you, Donna," Jackie said triumphantly. "Wow, this is a real breakthrough."

"I'm not buying it," Kelso said. "What, I'd be some genius if I had never lighted up? How can you prove that?"

"Easy," Jackie replied. "Give up the "film" – if you get smarter, then that proves I was right."

"Hold on just a minute," Hyde interjected. "Give it up? Are you crazy? You can't ask somebody to give up one of life's greatest pleasures just to prove a half-baked theory. Kelso's not going to do it!"

"My theory is perfectly legitimate, as you will be forced to admit a month from now when Kelso out guesses you at Jeopardy," Jackie retorted.

"Ha! He'd need a brain transplant to get past the first round."

"Hey," Kelso said. "I'm right here, Man."

"Fine," Jackie said, narrowing her eyes. "How about we make a little wager, then? If you are so sure you are right."

"What terms?" Hyde replied, his ears pricking at the word "wager".

"If Michael is more intelligent one month from now after giving up toking, you have to take ballroom dancing lessons with me."

Hyde paled at the thought, as his friends drew in their breaths sharply at the prospect. "And what's in it for me?"

Jackie squared her shoulders. "I will put up that thing you have been trying to wager me into since we first started up."

"Oooh, the love slave pact," Fez said in delight. "Sexy."

"Steven!" Jackie reproached angrily.

"What is said in the circle stays in the circle, Fez," Hyde warned. Hyde considered his girlfriend's bargain. Sure, the price was high but the reward would be the culmination of his favourite fantasies. Plus the notion that Kelso could ever be more than a good natured space cadet was pretty far fetched. "Deal!" he said.

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?" Kelso cried.

"No. Sorry, man, but I'm cutting you off for a month. No circle, no stealing my stash, you can't even sniff our clothes. And it's no use looking for another supplier, because it's a small town and I'll put the word out against you. Plus you'd probably make a mess of it and end up getting arrested. Amateurs are hopeless at buying pot," he finished with a pointed look at Jackie.

"It's for your own good, Michael," Jackie comforted him. "You'll see. Once you get back your natural smarts you can become a detective on the force and solve mysteries like Colombo."

"Can I be like Starsky and Hutch instead? Their convertible kicks ass!"

"Sure," Jackie agreed.

"Alright then, I'll do it!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jackie walked through the park slowly. This was her favourite part of her walk home from school, and today she was in no particular hurry to get to the basement, the place she truly thought of as home. She knew Steven would be waiting for her, a thought which was usually all the incentive she needed to produce a little more speed. She wondered at her own reluctance and sat down on a park bench overlooking the duck pond to sort through her thoughts.

_What is wrong with me? Coming home to Steven is usually the best part of my day and I'm sitting around staring at a bunch of ducks. _Jackie sighed. She should find Steven, they would make out on the couch or in his bedroom. He'd tell her about his day – which he usually summed up in a couple of sentences - and she'd tell him about the gross thing Max Huntly did in Biology today and about her upcoming audition for the lead in the school play. He would do that zen thing where he pretends not to listen but is actually listening. _And I'll get through one more day where I don't tell him that this relationship isn't enough for me._

"Hey, Jackie," a depressed voice said from behind her. Jackie turned around to find Michael Kelso behind her, unshaven with bloodshot eyes.

"God, Michael, you look terrible," Jackie exclaimed. It had been 2 weeks since the bet and she had not seen Kelso during that time. "Where have you been?"

Kelso collapsed onto the park bench next to her. "Home, mostly. After the first two days of giving up weed I couldn't concentrate at work so I've been on sick leave since then."

"How are you doing," Jackie asked tentatively.

"Hell, it's so hard," he moaned. "I'm not sleeping right, food tastes like crap and look! See those pigeons over there?" He pointed to a flock of pigeons pecking along the footpath. "I walked right by those birds and didn't even think about chasing them. Man, this withdrawal thing is messing me up."

"It'll get better," Jackie reassured. "And I think not wanting to chase birds is a good sign. Maybe you are becoming smarter and more mature."

"I don't wanna be mature," Kelso whined. "Seems like being grown up is all about having to give up your own fun to oblige somebody else. And why do I need to be smart anyhow when I have these amazing looks?"

"Michael, you are a police officer," Jackie replied. "That is the kind of job where if you screw up innocent people could get hurt. I know you – you may be thoughtless sometimes but you've got a good heart. You'd never forgive yourself if you made some dumb mistake that ended up with a criminal escaping or someone getting shot."

Kelso considered Jackie's words and knew she was right. Truth be told, he had already made a number of blunders that if anyone ever figured out he was responsible for he would be thrown off the force. If any of his superior officers discovered who it was that burned down the police academy…

"You're right, I know," Kelso admitted. "But Jackie, I just don't think I'm strong enough to do this."

"Hey, we're here for you, Michael," Jackie declared. "Its times like these you should lean on your friends."

"Not easy when all your friends hang out in the place that smells of the certain substance you are CRAVING, JACKIE!" Kelso retorted with emphasis.

"Is that why you haven't been around the basement? Oh Michael, I'm sorry."

"I've had it. I'm going to go into Kenosha and score some weed."

"No, Michael, don't throw away all you've gone through. I know you can beat this. Don't they say the first two weeks are the hardest? It can only get better from here."

"Why do you even care, Jackie? Are you that set on proving yourself right? Or is it the thought of being Hyde's love toy that is the source of your sudden concern for my wellbeing?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jackie retorted.

"You haven't given a damn about me since I ran off to California," Kelso said bitterly.

"That's not true," she cried. "You're my friend. Of course I care about you. Not the way I used to when we were dating, but I still care. We have so much history together and we know each other so well."

"Sure," Kelso groused sarcastically. "You and I both know I am only doing this because you made a bet with Hyde."

"No, Michael, I really believe if you break the hold this addiction has on you, it will make your life so much better. Please, Michael," she pleaded, letting him see her concern for him in her bewitching blue and green eyes. "If you don't give up, I'll do all I can to help you. I will even give it up too!"

"You'd do that for me?" Kelso said wonderingly, feeling a warmth stir in his heart he had not known for a long time.

"I will," she promised. "And if you can't come to the basement, we can hang out in other places and support each other."

"I could walk you home from school," Kelso suggested. "You really shouldn't be walking home alone, anyhow. This park is full of burn-outs."

"You should talk," Jackie laughed. "If you were a stranger I'd be running away screaming for the police."

"And then I'd run after you because you'd be calling for me," Kelso said, laughing for the first time in two weeks.

Jackie and Michael smiled at each other, both aware of having found something in the other they thought had been lost. She had forgotten how good it could be to talk to Michael, for he never judged her, which would have been difficult seeing as how he shared her character flaws. She tried to remember the last time she had talked to Steven from the heart with no limits on the emotions expressed.

"So now we have hashed out my problem, what's yours?" Kelso asked, seeing the shadow her thoughts cast on her face.

"What do you mean?" Jackie tried to project innocence.

"You've got that same weight of the world look I saw when I first noticed you sitting here. Is there something wrong?"

"Wrong? What could be wrong?" chirped Jackie. "I'm back together with Steven, we are doing it more than we ever have and I have my own television show."

"Now, Jackie, don't try to pull that in control routine with me. I can tell there's something on your mind. I even spotted it three weeks ago."

"What do you mean?"

"When we were all sitting around and watching Little House, that episode where Mary got married. Usually when you watch a wedding you're all excited, kicking your feet against the couch. And then you get all dreamy-eyed planning out your own wedding in your head. But you were quiet as a mouse when we watched that episode. In fact, when Mary was walking down the aisle, your eyes weren't even on her – they were looking just to the right of the TV, like you didn't want anyone to notice you weren't really watching."

Jackie was quiet for a moment. "You saw all that?" she said wonderingly.

"Hey, if I can remember the name of the turtle your great grandfather saved, noticing your reaction to a TV show is minor league."

"It's just that… when Steven and I got back together, we never talked about the things that broke us up. Being without him was so bad, I figured I'd take him back on any terms, even if that meant giving up on my dream of marriage. I mean, I know he is worth the sacrifice, I've learnt that from our time apart, but I still have these feelings, you know. And I can't talk to him about it because then he will see that as me going back on our agreement and maybe we would break-up again." Jackie felt her throat tighten at the thought of losing Steven.

"Hey, don't worry, he'll come around," Kelso said gently.

"You think?" Jackie said tearily.

"Of course. What guy wouldn't want to spend his life with a girl like you?" Kelso held up his finger warningly as Jackie smirked knowingly. "And don't bring up California – that was a long time ago."


	4. Chapter 4

"Warsaw!" Kelso yelled in triumph as the final buzzer sounded on Jeopardy.

"Damn," growled Hyde.

"YES! The capital of Poland is Warsaw! I am the man! Ah ha, ah ha," Kelso hooted, doing a groovy victory dance in front of his opponent.

"Stupid geography," grumbled Hyde. "Naming places is just separatist government crap to incite racial and class prejudice anyhow. Oooh, I live in Warsaw and you're just a Polish villager! Bastards."

"The fact remains that Kelso has just blitzed you at Jeopardy which means you, my friend, had better start polishing up your wing tips," Eric summarised with his smarmiest smile.

"Oh, Steven, I can't believe we will finally ballroom dance together," an excited Jackie said. "And I owe it all to you, Michael," She slipped her arms around Kelso's waist and squeezed hard.

"Anytime, Jacks," Michael replied, returning the pressure. Warning bells went off in Steven's head at Kelso's theft of Hyde's nickname for his girlfriend. He did not much care for the physical contact between them either, which triggered memories of the Jackie & Kelso years when they were joined at the lip.

Leading Jackie away from her ex, Hyde said "OK, how did you just do that? Was Donna feeding you the answers? Are you wearing a wire?"

"You are so paranoid, man," Kelso laughed. "I don't know, it's like all that stuff I learnt in school and out of National Geographic mags was just coming back to me. It's like my brain is that computer on Get Smart where you ask it any question and it just knows all the answers."

"Really?" Fez said hopefully. "Quick, Kelso computer, what is the formula for a love potion to make Fez irresistible to women?"

"That'd be 5 gin and vodkas and a complete lapse of judgment," Hyde interjected. "Now why don't they ask relevant questions like that on Jeopardy?"

"Don't whine, Steven, it is most unbecoming," Jackie said. "Obviously, my little theory about pot use was correct."

"Yeah, sure," Hyde agreed derisively. "So, Foreman, shall I cut you off for a month? Should give you enough time to make the Packers tryouts."

"Nah, I'm more of a Space Invaders man myself," Eric replied. "Those footballers may have the muscles and footwork going for them, but if aliens attacked its your truly they'd come running to. 'Oh Eric, please save us with your finely honed joystick skills', they will beg."

"One good thing about this crappy turn of events, we can get things back to normal at last," Hyde said, reaching into his pocket for a brown paper bag. "Come on back to the circle, Kelso and Jackie. It hasn't been the same without you." Truth be told, he had especially missed having Jackie's fine young body nestled against him in the circle, which had somewhere along the way become a key factor in achieving his high. They had come close to fighting when she told him she was quitting to support Kelso, but he was as wary of conflict as Jackie these days and he had reverted to zen to cover his annoyance at her decision.

"Uh, yeah, I don't think so, man," Kelso replied.

"Say what?"

"Yeah, I think I'll just say no."

"What, you're going all after school special on me now?" Hyde asked in disbelief.

"Come on, man, I went through hell giving that stuff up," Kelso said. "I think Jackie has a point, that stuff is really not good for me. I don't want to wake up 20 years from now and find I've turned into Leo."

Eric shuddered. "There's a cautionary tale for you."

"Hey, Leo was a great guy," defended Hyde. "He's the only old dude I ever knew who wasn't always riding your ass about something."

"Leo was easygoing alright," agreed Donna, "but I think it had less to do with a philosophical outlook and more with the cloud of smoke he lived in. Hey, I loved the guy too but there were some days he couldn't even remember your name. Hell, sometimes he didn't know his own name."

"Exactly," Kelso agreed. "I've thought about this – yes, I said 'thought'" – in response to the astounded looks – "and I believe there are some people like Leo and me that can really get knocked around in the smarts department by pot. And I like this new feeling of knowing what everyone is talking about instead of feeling like a Jamaican limbo dancer with everything going over my head."

"Fine, go and join MENSA, then. More weed for the rest of us," Hyde snarled. "Come on, Jacks. I'll start you up. Who's got the lighter?"

"Actually, Steven," Jackie began cautiously.

"Damn! Not you too?" Hyde asked incredulously.

"It's just that... well, to tell the truth I've never really liked smoking. The smell gets into my clothes and hair and those chocolate cravings afterward makes me totally break my diet. I was mainly doing it because all of you guys were and I wanted you to think I was cool. Especially you, Steven. But now it's time I grew up and started thinking for myself. So I'm giving it up for good." She gave Hyde a look that pleaded for his understanding and acceptance.

Silence descended on the basement at this latest development. Hyde struggled to mask his feelings of betrayal and fear at this new alliance between Jackie and Kelso. With the help of his sunglasses, he kept his face impassive so he didn't know why all his friends were looking at him like he was a freaking time bomb. Calmly, he returned the paper bag to his pocket, walked to the basement door and exited the room, slamming the door behind him. Fez ran to the door, calling up the stairway "Wait, don't go! The rest of us don't want to think for ourselves!" He turned accusing eyes onto the two abstainers. "What have you done to Hyde, you sons of a beetch!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Hyde strode angrily in the direction of the nearest bar, cursing under his breath. Ever since Jackie had first excused herself from the circle two weeks ago he had felt like she was slipping away from him – hell, this feeling had been going on since shortly after they got back together. Now it was like all his misgivings had morphed into human form – Michael Kelso.

Hyde was on his fourth beer when Eric parked himself at his table.

"Man, if you wanted to get wasted you could have stayed home with us."

"Better company here," grunted Hyde.

Eric looked around the near empty bar and sighed. "That hurts, man. So what, you're gonna bottle up all your feelings and drink yourself into a coma? Don't push me away, Steven. Let the pain out. Release your anger. Owww! Not like that!" Eric rubbed his bruised arm gingerly.

"What the hell are you doing here, Foreman? Did Donna send you scurrying after me? I tell you, you're just the flying monkey to her wicked witch."

"Actually, that's not far off the truth, but you picked the wrong witch."

"Jackie?"

"Yeah. She's really worried that you're mad at her."

"I'm not mad at her," Hyde replied, swigging his beer. "She's not the one pulling the strings here."

"What, you're saying Kelso is the puppetmaster? Hello, has a lifetime of association with the guy not taught you anything about his capabilities or lack thereof?"

"I know Kelso has never given up on Jackie and she's always been too naive where he's concerned. Did you know they've been hanging out together lately? I saw him walking her home from school the other day. I got off early from work and was going to surprise her and pick her up in the Camino when I saw them walking along, laughing together."

"So what? I thought the taboo on Kelso and Jackie alone time was lifted after you strayed into the 'cheatin' side of town'. That whole mess should have taught you that even if Kelso can't be trusted, Jackie can."

"They have this secret language, man," Hyde said, massaging the tension from his neck muscles. "They've known each other for years. They like the same movies, shows, music… she'll come in all excited over some second string TV actor opening up a meat market and he'll be jumping around like the moron he is, sharing her high."

"That doesn't mean she's going to fall in love with him again," Eric argued. "That just makes him good friend material. And that's all Jackie has tried to be to him lately – a friend. Hyde, anyone unfortunate enough to be in the same room as you two when you're having one of your little cuddling sessions cannot doubt she is totally hot for you."

"Hey, I don't cuddle," snapped Hyde. "That's just like… foreplay. And I know she's hot for me. But what if the sex is all that's holding us together? Sooner or later that's going to get old and she'll be looking for something more. Something tells me she's not going to find it in me."

Eric paused, at a loss for words. Motioning for a beer, he sipped the cold liquid, trying to find the right words to cheer his friend up. But there were no right words.

"So, how about that new Pink Floyd album? Not as good as their last, but some decent stuff on there."

"Whatever, man," Hyde replied, shutting down.

Later that night Hyde was lying on his cot. In spite of the beer he had shipped his anxiety had not been blunted and sleep eluded him. So absorbing were his thoughts he did not hear his bedroom door open and was only alerted to her presence when he heard her soft whisper "Steven?"

"Jackie! What are you doing here?"

"You didn't come tonight," she replied, shrugging out of her coat to reveal her pyjamas. She slipped under the covers of his bed, knowing she and Hyde communicated best when they were in contact each other – preferably in a horizontal position. "Seeing as how you're still awake, I guess I'm not the only one who has trouble getting to sleep alone these days." Hyde grunted what could be construed as an acknowledgment, spooning his body against hers. This was good – if only she didn't start a 'discussion'.

"Steven – "

_Crap!_

"Steven, you know that my giving up smoking is nothing to do with either you or Michael, right?"

"Jackie, I'm tired and I've got a hang over creeping up on me. Can we put off the analysis of your motivations til tomorrow?"

"I just wanted you to know this won't change anything. It's not a big deal."

"Good. That's settled then."

"Steven! I know when you're agreeing with me just to shut me up!"

"Fine, Jackie! What do you want me to say? That I'm OK with you dropping out of the circle? Well, I guess instead of having pot and sex in common, we'll just have the sex."

"What!" Jackie cried, struggling into a sitting position and turning on the bedside light. "Are you saying that's all you think we have going for us?"

"Can you name any other interests we share? Because I've been racking my brain tonight trying to come up with something and I've got zip."

Jackie fought to keep her voice steady against the rising tears. "How about love? Trust? Just enjoying each other's company?"

"Those are just concepts, Jackie, words for feelings that can change overnight. I remember how all your love and trust went out the window that time I told you I had cheated on you. I remember how the love and trust I had for my Dad died when he walked out when I was 9. Emotions can't be counted on – a relationship has got to be based on something more."

Jackie could not hold back the tears and the shuddering breaths that accompanied them. Suddenly Hyde realised how far their fight had crossed into dangerous territory and cursed himself for revealing his thoughts. At least he hadn't mentioned Kelso – if she knew how insecure he still was over that idiot, she would be really pissed.

"Baby, I'm sorry," he said, pulling her into his arms. At first her body stiffened in his embrace but then softened as his lips started to kiss her cheek, her neck, her shoulder. "Don't listen to me – all that beer is making me talk crazy."

"Steven, you need to talk to me if you're having doubts about our relationship – "

"No doubts," he said, working his way back towards her bee stung lips. "I was just pissed off and saying things I didn't mean. You and I are solid, babe. I know that."

Jackie knew that Steven's words did not ring true but as his tongue seduced its way into her mouth and his hands kindled a fire within her, she found herself unwilling to protest.


	6. Chapter 6

The next few months were eventful for the basement gang. Eric broke away from the fold all the way to Africa, leaving a saddened Donna. Fez and Kelso joined forces to move into an apartment together and Jackie graduated from High School. The only thing which did not progress was Jackie and Hyde's relationship. While on the surface they were a portrait of young love at its hottest, beneath the surface were issues neither were brave enough to confront. Only one person sensed the rift between them, his uncanny radar for all things Jackie picking up on their tension.

Michael and Jackie's friendship was ripening to a stage neither had been able to achieve before. In the last two years Jackie had become less self-absorbed and so had more to give than in the years when she and Michael had been a couple. And Kelso – well, his growing intelligence was changing him on many levels.

It began with being able to follow the complicated plot twists when watching Colombo, now being able to make it through an entire episode without asking such questions as "Who's that guy? Why did he just kill the other guy?" He noticed his police work improving as he found he had the ability to actually listen and remember what was said to him without his attention wandering. The 'D's on his police academy tests turned into 'B's without any help from his magic marker, and shortly thereafter became 'A's. As his performance improved, his supervisor decided to place him in the field with an experienced officer, Sergeant Gregory Sattler.

At first Kelso wrote his new partner off as a dilhole, seeing as how he was in his 30s and was unimpressed by the type of humour that consisted of burns, practical jokes and put downs. But one week they had to stake out a suspect's apartment and in the desperation of boredom Kelso actually started to listen to Greg. He found out Greg came from a family of academics and had himself graduated with a suma cum laude in mathematics and business. However, shortly after graduating Greg's girlfriend was mugged and raped one night when he was not around to walk her home. Shortly thereafter he had joined the police force in the belief that a man of integrity and intelligence could do the most good in this field. However, he did not throw away all his college learning, using his knowledge to play the stock market and invest in property with great success. To fill in the dull stakeout hours, Greg showed Kelso a few simple stock market strategies based on the figures in the companies' financial statements. He was surprised when his young partner showed a surprising aptitude for matters mathematical, often beating Greg's calculator to the correct answer. Kelso's interest in the world of finance grew with his increasing ability to understand it, and by the end of that week he and Greg had devised an investment strategy to grow his small savings into a useful amount of capital using options trading.

All of these things were giant steps forward for Michael Kelso, but from his point of view the greatest change was his feelings for Jackie Burkhart. As he looked back on their relationship, he was amazed and furious with himself for his crass stupidity in throwing away the best thing that had ever happened to him for the momentary physical gratification that his random couplings provided. He suddenly saw the insanity of trying to juggle affairs with Jackie and Laurie simultaneously, he realised how stupid his anniversary gifts to her had been, he remembered all the times he had stood her up when he was watching cartoons because he was too dumb to consider how that would make her feel. And finally, the death blow to their love, his dash to California. Contemplating a lifetime of foolish behaviour, his actions towards Jackie made him wince the most. From that regret, a new emotion grew – anger. As Kelso realised how strongly pot had affected him, he began to see Steven Hyde as the author of his downfall. The fact that the stupidity Hyde had caused had led to Hyde stealing Jackie from him doubled his sense of grievance towards his one time best friend, cancelling out any sense of loyalty he owed Hyde.

Now, as Jackie and Kelso shared a lunch break together at the new Italian café that had just opened, they found themselves falling into an easy and comforting pattern. Their conversation rippled from the latest fall fashions to celebrity gossip and even ventured into current affairs; Kelso's friendship with Greg had motivated him to start reading the newspaper everyday and Jackie also found being up to date useful in the media profession. Their weekly lunch together had become a highlight in their schedules.

"…and did you see the new restaurant that just opened on Main Street? Tiffany's boyfriend took her there last week and she said it was so classy she almost died! The waiters all wear tuxedos, and they have a piano and string quartet and a dance floor so you can dance and eat at the same time!" Jackie sighed wistfully.

"Sounds like that could get messy," Kelso joked. "Hey, why don't you get Hyde to take you there? Valentine's Day is coming up."

"You know Steven's views on Valentines Day," Jackie replied lightly. "I couldn't ask him to go against his principles like that."

"I don't see what he has against having one day a year set aside to celebrate romance," Kelso continued, trying to provoke a reaction from Jackie. "But then, I guess he makes every day Valentines Day for you, right? Having him say "I love you" on February 14th would just be old news."

"Yeah, sure," Jackie replied unconvincingly. Suddenly, she dropped her head in her hands and moaned "Who am I kidding? A swat team holding him at gunpoint wouldn't get an "I love you" out of Steven. God knows I never have."

"What, he's never said it?" Kelso said in feigned surprise. He knew very well Hyde was the type of guy to have a problem with those words.

"Once he did – but he was trying to stop me breaking up with him at the time so that doesn't really count – does it?" Her voice rose hopefully.

"No, what a guy says when he is facing a break up is a complete suspension of reality."

"I just don't know what to do about our relationship," Jackie said, turning for support to her friend whom she had recently found to be a fount of good advice. "We just seem to be… stuck."

"Well, Jacks, I think what you need to do is ask yourself what you need to make you happy –happy for keeps, not some passing new-shade-of-lip-gloss happy."

Jackie worried her bottom lip as she thought over Michael's suggestion. "What do I want? I used to want so many things – to be a Dallas Cheerleader or a supermodel and have everybody love and admire me. But now… I just want to be with the man I love and know he loves me and wants to be with me forever. And I want him to be someone I can count on to be there for me when I need him. Plus it would also help if he was rich so we could buy a nice house like that one on Jamison Avenue – you know the one with the green shutters? And I want an Irish Setter dog and some kids – a boy and a girl. There – that's my happiness list. But I know it's not Steven's."

Kelso sipped his hot chocolate, satisfied with what he had accomplished. Silently he memorised Jackie's soul mate shopping list for future reference.


	7. Chapter 7

Two weeks later, Jackie and Donna were spending a Saturday afternoon together for some "Jackie Magic Time", Jackie's version of supporting her friend. Since Eric had left for Africa Donna had been up and down emotionally and was grateful for her friend's attempts to distract her from her troubles, even though the activities were not always to her taste.

"God, Jackie, how much longer are you keeping this muck on my face? It feels like concrete."

"Donna, that feeling is your facial pores crying out in thanksgiving," Jackie explained as she began to daub the mud mask onto her own face.

Donna began to chuckle as she watched her immaculate friend transform into a green faced freak.

"What?"

"I wish I had my camera. Oh, if the guys could see you now!"

Jackie was never comfortable being teased about her looks. "Don't be silly. I look fine. You, however, are the creature from the green lagoon."

Donna laughed at Jackie's annoyance. "Seriously, if Kelso saw you now he would run screaming in the other direction, just like he used to do when you got sick."

"No, he wouldn't," Jackie contradicted testily. "Michael has grown up a lot since then."

"So I've noticed. It's quite amazing, really," Donna mused. "Yesterday I found him in the basement reading the Wall Street Journal. I never thought I'd see the day when Kelso would expose himself to any reading material which could offer him no glimpse of breast, butt or babes."

"Yes, well his new partner is a stockmarket whiz and has gotten Michael into it as well. I wish I had acted on the stock tip he gave me last week – those shares tripled in value."

"Kelso gave you stock tips? He never gave me any stock tips," grumbled Donna.

"So?"

"So he seems to be doing all he can to rub you the right way, lately, if you get my drift."

"We're just friends, Donna. Sheesh!" Jackie replied, examining her fingernails.

"Funny how you don't look me in the eyes when you say that," Donna remarked more seriously.

"What are you implying, Donna? Are you accusing me of something?"

"Whoa, whoa don't get all hysterical, Jackie. I was just saying – "

"Well, don't. There's nothing between Michael and I. Well, nothing like that. I must admit, though…"

"What?"

"I really enjoy talking to him these days. It used to be any conversation I had with Michael ended in frustration because he was so dim. But ever since he gave up… you know… it's me that has to race to keep up with him."

"OK, he does seem a lot less clueless these days but don't forget he's still the guy that broke your heart like a bazillion times and ditched you the day you got engaged."

"I know that is technically true, but it seems each day he becomes more like my dream Michael."

"What on God's green earth is a dream Michael?"

"When we were dating I had this image of what Michael would be like if he was smarter, richer and more considerate."

"Ah yes, I remember that little fantasy life of yours. As I recall it came crashing down on you the night Kelso set fire to your house," Donna recalled.

"Right. But every time Michael opens a door for me or remembers some trivial little thing that I like or talks about the thousands he made on the market that day, it's like I've crossed through the Twilight Zone into my old fantasy. It's kind of eery, in a way."

"Jackie, straight up, are you having feelings for Kelso again?" Donna demanded.

"I don't know," Jackie reluctantly admitted.

"What about Hyde?" reproached her friend.

"I love Steven, I swear on my Cosmo collection. But lately I've found myself looking forward to spending time with Michael. But he has always been a perfect gentleman and never hit on me, Donna. I'm sure he just sees me as a friend. So any vague feelings I may or may not have are harmless because I am just one of the guys to him."

"Right," Donna said, unconvinced. _I think it's time Hyde had a heads up before this gets serious_, she thought.

The next morning Donna knocked on Hyde's bedroom door. "Hey, Hyde, are you up?"

"Only in terms of consciousness," he answered.

"What's wrong with you, Surly Temple?" Donna quizzed.

"Get this – Jackie spent the night with me last night and was just on her way out to go to church, when in walks Kelso, asking all innocent where she's going – he knows she goes to the same friggin' service every week like clockwork – and she says she's off to church, all unsuspecting. Then he heaves a sigh and says he's been feeling like there's something missing from his life lately and he's been thinking of going back to the church but he doesn't have any friends who go and it's no fun if you don't know anyone. So then Jackie chirps up all helpful Oh, come with me, my church is great, we'll have the bestest time in the whole world. Son of a bitch!"

"So what, now he's walking her to church? What is this, the 1870's?"

"I tell you, Donna, that lanky weasel is plotting to steal Jackie away from me. I know you're going to call me paranoid…" Hyde paused. "Well, aren't you going to call me paranoid?"

"Um…" Donna stalled.

"What do you know?" Hyde enunciated slowly, pinning her down with his steely blue eyes.

"Nothing, less than nothing, I'm just way overreacting about some of the things Jackie said the other day."

"Ah ha! This is what I need – intel from the enemy. OK, Pinciotti," Hyde said menacingly, shining his desk lamp into Donna's face, "start talking."

Donna related the gist of her conversation with Jackie. By the time she was finished, Hyde had his head in his hands.

"And so to conclude," Donna finished nervously, "I think the key points we should focus on here is that she loves you and she sees Kelso mainly as a friend and believes he is only interested in friendship from her."

"Mainly as a friend!" Hyde repeated bitterly. "It's the unmainly part that scares me shitless. If she actually believes all Kelso wants from her is to be her "friend-boy", she's even more naïve than I thought. I've seen him work this angle on her before, right before they got back together, and he wasn't half as sneaky back then as he is now."

"Yes, but she was not in love with you when that happened," Donna reminded him.

Hyde was silent for a time and then turned to Donna. "So… what do you think I should do? Kill Kelso?"

"Why not try beating him at his own game? Kelso's just filling a vacuum in her life. Jackie needs someone to show her attention and make thoughtful gestures, say the right things. So if you just tried to do those things…" Donna said leadingly.

Hyde groaned. "Damnit, Donna, you know I'm not that guy!"

"You could try. You know Jackie magnifies every semi-sweet thing you do for her to the power of 100 anyhow, so it wouldn't take that much."

Hyde considered her words. "No, I think your killing Kelso plan had more merit. Now let's plan our operation accordingly."

Donna slapped Hyde's shoulder. "How many times do I have to tell you? We don't kill our friends!"


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry for the delay in updating. Recent spoilers have dulled my usual enthusiasm for H & J goodness and this chapter kind of lets out my frustration with next season's Hyde. Still, don't lose heart that these crazy kids won't make it in the end – I'm keeping the faith!_

Chapter 8

"Steven," Jackie cooed softly to her sleeping boyfriend. No response. She added a nudge but he remained oblivious. "STEVEN," she barked. "Oooh, good, you're awake," she smiled as he groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes.

"Jackie, for your sake I hope the bed is on fire," he growled.

"Don't be grumpy," she cajoled.

"Why the hell are you waking me up at 6.30 in the morning? You know I need at least 15 hours sleep each day. Now I'm going to have to squeeze in an extra hour during my work siesta."

"I just had the most amazing dream and I couldn't wait to tell you about it."

"A dream? You wake me up to tell me about a dream? So not only am I not allowed to sleep, you're going to tell me about your dreams to rub it in."

"Settle down," Jackie replied, twining herself around her lover, kissing his neck until she felt his body relax. "This was no ordinary dream. I think it might have been prophetic."

Hyde knew he was being played but having Jackie's hands working their delicious wickedness on him was a fair trade for sleep, so he sighed deeply as a token protest and said, "Alright, tell me about your damn dream, then. But leave out any detailed descriptions of clothes."

"Damn," Jackie said, pausing for a quick mental edit. "OK, it was set in the future. You and I looked like we were about 30. I was in a kitchen making bacon and eggs then you walked in wearing a suit and tie, kissed me good morning, stole some of the bacon and then sat down to read the paper. Then our son and daughter came downstairs – the boy was about 8 and had my hair and your eyes, and the little girl was 5 and looked just like you and looked so cute wearing this pink T-shirt with a rainbow -"

"Jackie!"

"OK, OK. Then I gave the kids their lunches in brown paper bags, waved to them as they hopped on the school bus and then you and I proved our love on the kitchen floor."

"Good ending."

"That's it? Steven, I just had a vision of our future! This is momentous!"

"Jackie, it was just a dream and probably had more to do with you watching too many Brady Bunch re-runs than soothsaying." Hyde noted his girlfriend's narrowed eyes and hastened to make amends. "Except for that last part of the dream – I do believe there will be some kitchen floor lovemaking in our future – hopefully the near future."

"Don't get your hopes up," Jackie said disdainfully. The annoyance in her eyes was chased away by melancholy as she said, "So you don't think the rest of the dream is likely to come true?"

"I don't believe in visions and that new age crap," Hyde replied, deliberately misunderstanding her.

"But would you like the dream to come true?" Jackie persisted.

Hyde started to feel the pressure of Jackie's future plans pushing at him, trapping him. The pressure of having to deal with adult responsibilities, of being responsible for another person's happiness, of being tied down to one person and one place. Sometimes the picture of a loving family that she had just painted was everything he ever wanted, but other times it scared him stupid.

"Jackie, we agreed we weren't going to talk about this sort of stuff," he replied more harshly than he meant to. "Just be happy with what we have – stop pushing me."

"Fine," Jackie growled, flinging herself out of her bed. She started to pull on some sweats.

"Where are you going?" Hyde asked, exasperated.

"Taking a walk," she responded curtly.

"Jackie, stop acting like a spoiled brat who's not getting her own way and come back to bed."

Jackie exploded. "Not getting my own way? When do I ever get my way with you, Steven? You never give an inch. Everything has to be on your terms. You've never even told me you were sorry for breaking my heart 5 months ago. You've never even told me you loved me!"

"Yes, I did!" Hyde said, outraged.

"One freaking time you've said those words to me, at a time when by all laws of love they could not be taken seriously. Never since. That's the real reason why you couldn't see a future with me, isn't it, Steven? When you love someone you want to hold onto them but my only purpose in your life is as your sex buddy!"

"What!"

"You said it yourself – you think sex is the only thing we have in common. Well, I've got news for you, Steven Hyde. I deserve better!" With that, Jackie stormed out of her bedroom, leaving Hyde stunned. By the time he had the sense to pull on his clothes and run after her, she was nowhere in sight.

Jackie chose to walk lonely hiking tracks where she was less likely to meet people who would notice her tear ravaged face. After walking for two hours, she found herself at Point Place Park and collapsed in exhaustion on her customary park bench overlooking the duck pond. As the arctic breeze turned her tear tracks to ice, she was too absorbed in her misery to hear someone approach her from behind. As a hand dropped onto her shoulder, she gave a startled scream.

"It's OK – it's just me."

"Michael!" Jackie gasped.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Hyde stormed into the basement, slamming the door behind him. He was consumed with anger at himself, Jackie and the manufacturers of his boots which were chafing him painfully after two hours of fruitless searching. So engrossed was he in his inner tantrum that he completely missed Fez fidgeting nervously on the couch until he said "Hyde – ".

"Not now, Fez."

"Wait, Hyde, there is something I must tell you – it's about Kelso and Jackie."

Now he had Hyde's attention. "What is it?"

"I knew Kelso was trying to win Jackie back but I thought it would come to nothing like all those other times. But then this real estate agent called the other day which made me suspicious and I found a receipt from Ashtons Jewellers and when Kelso brought home that dog last night I knew this was serious."

"Fez, quit babbling. What does one of Kelso's dates have to do with anything?"

Fez drew a long breath and began at the beginning.

_Meanwhile…_

"…and then he called me a spoiled brat and I told him he didn't love me and he didn't deny it and I told him I deserved better and I glunk id bover."

"What was that last part, baby?" Kelso inquired as the remainder of Jackie's sentence was lost against his tear-soaked shoulder.

"I said I think it's over," Jackie repeated, raising mournful red eyes to Kelso.

Kelso took Jackie's cold face between his two hands and smiled into her eyes. "A wise person once said "When one door closes God opens a window."

"What does The Sound of Music have to do with anything?" Jackie quizzed.

"Come with me. There's something I have to show you." Kelso took Jackie' hand and led her from the park. They walked for 20 minutes until they found themselves standing on one of Point Place's prettiest streets.

"Do you know where we are, Jackie?"

"Of course. Jamison Avenue."

"Do you remember how when we were together and we'd walk down a street like this you used to critique all the houses, giving them new paint jobs or tearing down front porches."

Jackie gave a watery chuckle. "Yeah, that was fun."

"We used to play a game – which house would we live in when we got married. You would really get into it. The place had to be just perfect and we didn't see many houses that met your specifications."

Jackie smiled. "I remember you would take any beaten down old shack so long as it had a big back yard to keep a dog in."

"Now, I know you are as much a dog person as me, Jackie. You would never have been attracted to me in the first place if you weren't," Kelso said with a rueful grin.

Jackie laughed. "This new self-awareness of yours is unexpected. I hope it's not contagious – I don't think I'm ready to admit I am less than exquisite."

"You don't have to," Kelso said, his brown eyes filled with tenderness. Jackie began to feel like she was on the edge of a precipice and did not know which way to fall. "Ah, here we are."

"Oh, the house with the green shutters! This was always my favourite!" Jackie noted a large "For Sale" sign posted in the front yard. "Look, it's up for sale."

"Well, that's not entirely accurate," Kelso said, unfolding a large red sticker from his pocket. He peeled off the backing and slapped it onto the sign.

"Sold?" Jackie read in puzzlement. "Michael, I think we're getting past the stage when defacing other people's property is funny."

"Don't worry, I have a perfect legal right to put that sticker on that sign. Now let me show you around my new house."

"What? Michael, are you serious? Oh my God!" Jackie squealed as Kelso slid a key into the front door lock. As he led Jackie into the house, for once she was bereft of words. He showed her through each beautiful room, pointing out the polished Oregon pine floors and leadlight windows, the immaculate kitchen and charming dining room, the bay window with the reading annex with a view of Mount Hump. When he opened the back door to show her the landscaped backyard, a shining red blur raced up the back steps and jumped excitedly up and down in front of her.

"Oh, Michael, he is gorgeous," Jackie breathed, petting the Irish Setter dog which was frantically trying to lick her face. "But I don't understand. How did you do all this? Why?"

"The stock market has been very kind to me this last month. I put the deposit down on this place yesterday but I have the money so it will be ours free and clear after the paperwork has gone through."

"Ours?" Jackie repeated blankly.

"You didn't think it was a coincidence that I chose this place, did you? Jackie, I know what you need to make you happy better than Hy-… anyone else ever could," Michael said. "I can offer you everything you ever wanted, sweetheart – the house, money, a dog and someday as many rugrats as you want." Michael slipped a hand into his pocket and brought out a velvet covered ring box. "I'm ready now, Jackie," he said solemnly as he flipped open the latch to display a dazzling engagement ring to her amazed stare. "I love you. I want to be with you – always."

Jackie felt as though she was playing a frantic round of musical chairs and the music had just stopped. As she looked around at all her dreams come to life, she wondered if she was actually awake, so unreal was it to suddenly have all her wishes answered all at once. When Michael gently pulled her into his arms, she made no protest but followed as unresisting as a dancer caught up in a dance. There was a strange inevitability to this; the happy ever after the princess steps into at the end of the story. As Michael's lips descended on hers, she offered her mouth to him unresisting.


	10. Chapter 10

_OK, I've teased enough. Time to end the doubt as to who Jackie really loves._

Chapter 10

As Kelso's lips pressed against hers, suddenly Jackie felt her body react strongly to his touch – in revulsion. Her stomach dropped, her skin crawled and her heart beat in panic. Kelso sensed her withdrawal and tilted his head back. "Jackie, what is it?"

"I – I can't do this," Jackie replied miserably.

"Why not? Is it because of Hyde? You don't owe him anything, Jackie. He doesn't deserve you." Kelso's grip tightened on her upper arms.

"That's not the point. It doesn't matter if he deserves me or I deserve him"

"Then what is the point?"

"He is part of me. He's in my blood. It doesn't matter if he is rich, poor, black, white, good or bad. I belong to him and I can't run away from that," Jackie said this carefully, as though the realization came upon her as she spoke the words.

"For God's sake, Jackie, will you listen to yourself? You talk about him like he's something you're addicted to. That bastard has already messed up my life, don't let him ruin yours."

Jackie's eyes widened at Michael's angry words. "What did Steven ever do to you?"

"What did he do! Are you kidding me? He got me hooked on dope and turned me into an imbecile! If I hadn't been such a moron I wouldn't have cheated on you and made you unhappy. He would never have been able to steal you from me."

Jackie broke away from Kelso's hold. "OK, I'm getting tired of you guys talking about me like I'm a boosted candy bar. I chose Steven, just like you chose Laurie and Pam Macey and the other 1,001 skanks you screwed. Even if you had been smarter it doesn't follow you would have been any more moral. History has shown the most brilliant people can turn into total idiots when it comes to relationships."

Kelso's face became sullen as Jackie defended the man he had come to hold responsible for his bad choices. "You can't deny he got me started on pot."

"He was just a kid, like you – he didn't know what the consequences would be. He never set out to deliberately hurt you, Michael. Not the way you are doing to him. Admit it – the only reason you are pursuing me is to score against Steven."

"The hell it is! I told you once that from the moment I saw you I wanted to do it with you, and that has never changed. Lately it has just gotten stronger. The only way Hyde enters into the equation is that I don't feel guilty about taking you away from him. I don't owe him anything. Be honest, Jackie – you know he'll never make you happy."

"Don't say that!" As Jackie turned away from him, Kelso caught her hand and pulled her back.

"Look at the facts, princess," Kelso said harshly. "Your love affair with Hyde is circling the drain. Forget the fact that he'll never get off his ass to earn enough to buy you a house - the guy wont even give you the things that don't cost any money. I mean, if he can't even tell you that he loves you, how do you expect your relationship to go anywhere?" Jackie remained silent, her eyes reflecting the pain his words caused her. Kelso softened his tone. "Jackie… Jacks, c'mon darlin'. Stop following your silly little heart and wise up. You and I have so much going for us – we're the same kind. Make the smart choice."

Jackie bowed her head. As Kelso pulled her towards him into his embrace, however, he was prevented by her hands flattened against his chest.

"No, Michael," she said quietly. "No more."

Half an hour later a black El Camino screeched to a halt in front of the house with green shutters. Steven Hyde bounded out of the vehicle, but slowed his pace when he saw the For Sale-Sold sign on the front lawn. _So it's true_, he thought. Fez's fantastical story about the lengths Kelso had gone to was actually based in fact. Looking up at the beautiful large house, Hyde had a sick feeling that once again he had failed to measure up – the poor orphan from the wrong side of the tracks had gotten in way over his head. Then he thought of Jackie and his expression hardened – he would not go down without a fight.

As he climbed the steps to the front porch, he heard a snuffling noise coming from that end of the porch hidden from view by a beech tree. Looking towards it, he spied Jackie curled up in a white wicker chair, her arms wrapped around her legs as the tears flowed down her cheeks. So wrapped up in her misery, she did not sense Hyde's presence until he crouched down before her. Before he had a chance to ask her if she was still his girlfriend, she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face against his shoulder.

"Where's Kelso?" was all he could think of to say.

"Gone," she sobbed.

"Is that why you're crying? Do you want to be with him?"

"No," Jackie raised her head to look into his eyes. The thought flew through her head that her face would be getting shoulder burn from all the shoulders she had cried on today.

"Then what are the tears for?"

"Because I have broken my best friend's heart," she answered. "And because I am so hopelessly in love with you that it scares me."

Hyde stared down at Jackie, dressed in an inelegant track suit, hair escaping a loose ponytail, red eyed and snot-nosed, and wondered again what this beautiful girl saw in him. He planted his mouth against hers in a possessive kiss that branded her as his. She responded just as passionately, and it was many minutes before they became aware of time and place. Hyde brushed the hair back from her face with his fingers, searching for the words that would take the sadness from her eyes.

"You don't have to be scared," he said huskily. Her eyes pleaded with him to go on, but again the words would not come. Instead he found himself saying "I have to go find Kelso. I'll meet you back at the basement later."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Hyde pounded the door of Kelso's apartment as though warming his fist up for the coming confrontation. It was therefore a let-down when Fez answered the door.

"Where is he?" growled Hyde.

"His bedroom," Fez replied sadly. "Ai, he is packing his things and leaving me!"

"Running away, hey? Well, he'll find there's no zip code far enough to hide from me," Hyde said, stalking towards Kelso's room. "You'd better get an eye patch ready, Fez. And a full body cast."

He entered Kelso's room to find his former friend packing his belongings into sturdy cardboard boxes. He briefly looked up at Hyde and then looked away dismissively.

"What?"

"You backstabbing son of a bitch," Hyde spat out. He would have started beating Kelso up at this point but the floor was crowded with boxes and there was little room to move. "Come outside – when I get through with you you'll never brag about your good looks again!"

"What have you got to bellow about," Kelso said resentfully. "She chose you, didn't she? God knows why."

Hyde let fly a string of curse words which cast aspersions on Kelso's ancestry, his morals and sexual persuasion. In frustration he finished "What the ! are these boxes doing here?"

"I'm moving to Chicago," Kelso replied shortly.

"Really? I was under the impression you had just become a home-owner here in Point Place," Hyde responded sarcastically.

"I bought that house for Jackie." Kelso continued to empty the contents of his wardrobe as he spoke. "There's no point in me sticking around here if I can't be with her."

"You're really going? Well, at least there is a bright side to being betrayed by one of my oldest friends."

"Don't speak to me of betrayal, Hyde," Kelso snapped. "I only tried to do to you what you did to me the summer I went to California."

"Don't you dare try to say this is the same situation! You cold-bloodedly dumped Jackie. Of course she would move onto someone better. Someone like me."

"OK, I grant you I was a prize idiot for doing that," Kelso said. "That doesn't mean I didn't still love her, it just means I was too stupid to come up with a better solution to avoid marriage. You see, a long time ago a frizzy haired kid posing as my best friend introduced me to smoking what he liked to refer to as "film" and since that time, until recently, my ability to make intelligent choices was as baked as the thanksgiving turkey."

"You're putting the blame on me? I'm responsible for 10 years of stupidity?"

"Yes," Kelso said. "I mean, no. Well, partly. Jackie said the mistakes she couldn't forgive were the cheating ones, and I guess the brain is not really the organ that controls those urges," Kelso admitted reluctantly. "I just can't help thinking things might have turned out differently if…"

"…if I hadn't shared Edna's stash with you?"

"Yeah."

"That is the stupidest thing I ever heard! Man, you are dumber smart that you were as a dumbass. I never held you down and made you try it. You could have said no at any time over the years – there were enough grown-ups lecturing us on how drugs can ruin your life. You can't say you didn't know pot was bad for you."

"You always said those lectures were part of a government conspiracy to rob us of all joy in life," Kelso said.

"Like you can take anything I say about the government as gospel!" Hyde scoffed. "Don't you know me at all?"

"I know you well," Kelso replied. He closed the box he was packing and turned to Hyde, giving him his full attention. "That's why I say our Jackie-stealing situations are similar. You stole her from a guy who was no good for her and would only wind up disappointing her. I tried to do the same thing. Just like you, I thought she deserved better."

Hyde felt the force of these words like a blow to the solar plexus. "You, better than me?" he snarled. "In what bizarro world would that ever happen?"

"Think about it, Hyde. I've worked my ass off these last few months dreaming up schemes to win Jackie back, reading book after book on the stock market so I could afford to give her all the things she wants, working at changing into a man she can respect. And what have you done? You let her break up with you because you're too chicken-shit to take a chance on having a future with her, and then when you luck out and she comes back to you, you still don't offer her anything more than you did from the beginning when it was all about hot sex and your convenience."

"Shut your damn mouth, you Judas," Hyde yelled, moving threateningly towards Kelso. However, the boxes were still in the way. "You don't know jack about our relationship."

"The hell I don't. I know that girl inside and out. Didn't you notice she hasn't mentioned weddings, marriage or long term future to you since you two hooked up again?"

"Ha! That's what you know! She was going on about that sort of crap just this morning," Hyde replied. He did not add it was the first time in months she had brought up the subject.

"So I hear," Kelso answered. "I also heard about the way you shut her down. I'd never seen her more heartbroken as I did this morning."

Hyde felt a shaft of guilt at the memory of Jackie's angry, sorrowful face from that morning. "It was just a misunderstanding. Jackie is always trying to trick me into proposing to her. It's just a game with her."

"OK, that statement right there just shows you don't know the first thing about Jackie. Haven't you figured out that when she asks for the moon she is really hoping to get something else? When she asks you if you want to marry her she's really asking if you love her and won't leave her. I would have thought that someone who had been abandoned by loved ones as much as you would at least get that!"

Like the last blow of the axe on a mighty redwood, this last insight felled Hyde's righteous anger. Suddenly he remembered back to when he was 9; his Dad had just walked out, his Mom was drinking and bringing strange men back to the house. He remembered how much he had needed the security offered by the Forman home and from his friends, the sense of safety he had felt every time he had walked into the basement. Looking back, he realised Jackie's marriage chatter had begun as her parents started dropping out of her life. She was not as tough as he was and needed reassurance that she was not alone.

"Damn," he said softly, sitting down abruptly onto the bed. "How did I get to this place? Used to be the only person I could hurt was myself and now I've got this crazy beautiful girl who gets hurt not only by the things I say but even the stuff I don't say." Kelso abandoned his packing and sat opposite to Hyde on one of the boxes. Hyde narrowed his eyes. "What you did was still one of the slimiest acts known to mankind and I don't know if I'll ever forgive you for it."

"Look on the bright side," Kelso replied. "I offered Jackie everything she ever said she wanted and you offered her bupkes. And she still chose you."

"Yeah, she did, didn't she?" Hyde said, a smirk growing on his face. "Not a bad burn to go out on."

Kelso hung his head, letting out a gusty sigh. "Look, I'm sorry for going behind your back. You just have to know – it wasn't personal. I mean, it wasn't exactly friendly, I know, but it wasn't about screwing you over. I just… I really love her, man. When you love someone like that and you see someone else screwing up what you would give your eyeteeth to have, you kind of lose your moral perspective, you know?"

Hyde saw the pain in his friend's eyes and knew he was telling the truth. A lifetime of friendship prompted him to say grudgingly "Well, I guess if the positions were reversed I'd have done the same thing." Kelso gave him a look. "No, I'm not gonna admit that I did the same thing to you 2 years ago. I mean, you and Jackie? You treated her like crap with all your cheating. I haven't done anything to be put in the same category as you."

"For the record, I never cheated on her from the last time we got back together. But that aside, take it from someone who's been there – unless you start working on the problems you guys have, you're going to lose her. I ran away from our problems by driving to California, but you run away just by putting on your sunglasses and clamming up." Kelso stood up and opened the bedroom door as a signal for Hyde that the interview was over.

"So you're really moving away?" Hyde asked, following Kelso to the door.

"Yeah. Had a promotion offered to me in Chicago. I was going to pass on it, but I guess this is for the best. At least I can be closer to my daughter this way."

"Well, good luck with that, I guess. It's important for a dad to be around his kid."

"Yeah."

"Of course, you know I have to hit you now? You've left me no choice."

"Yeah, I know. One favour, though - do you think you could avoid my eye? My optometrist says I'm his only patient who gets frequent customer discounts."

Hyde laughed. "Sure." He then frogged Kelso hard in the arm.

"Owwww," Kelso moaned, reverting to his natural doofus state. He then smiled at Hyde and said, "One more favour, Hyde. Take care of Jackie."

"I will," Hyde promised.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

_Two months later_

"Owww! Steven!"

"Sorry."

"That's the second time you've let me bang into something. Right, I'm taking this blindfold off."

"Jacks, we're almost there. Trust me."

"Famous last words," muttered Jackie, but her grumbling was not convincing. When Steven had picked her up from work in the El Camino and handed her the blindfold, butterflies of excitement had taken up residence in her belly and they were still fluttering madly.

"OK, you can take it off, now," Hyde announced. Eagerly she tore at the fabric to find herself facing a mud brown apartment door with the brass number 5E dangling precariously on it.

"Where are we?" she demanded, looking around to find herself on the fifth floor of a shabby apartment building.

"Our new home," Hyde replied proudly, pulling out a doorkey and twisting it in the lock.

Jackie gasped in wonder as he pushed the door open revealing a one-bedroom flat decorated in true 1970s fashion (that is, shades of brown and orange). Before she could step over the threshhold, he had hefted her into his arms and carried her across. She gazed adoringly at Hyde in appreciation of his romantic gesture, causing him to colour up and quickly deposit her onto the threadbare carpet. "So, what do you think?" he asked casually.

In response she raced through each room, exclaiming in wonder at the faux marble laminex in the kitchenette, praising the view of the tyre factory from their bedroom, becoming lyrical at the discovery of a linen closet in the hallway. In conclusion, she launched herself into Hyde's arms, kissing him enthusiastically. "I love it! I love it!" she cried.

"Thank God for that because I signed a one year lease this morning," Hyde answered.

"Wow, you're taking on a commitment for an entire year?" Jackie teased. "I _will _have you ordering dinner in French any day now."

"Yeah, in your dreams."

"But how will Mrs Forman take it? First Eric, now you. I think she was starting to look on you as a permanent fixture in her house."

"Hey, I haven't been there that long! It's only been a couple of years."

"Feels like seven," murmured Jackie.

"So, Jacks… I know you're a girl who likes traditions which brings me to the old tradition of christening a new home."

"What, like breaking a bottle of champagne on the door?" Jackie questioned, being deliberately obtuse. The hunger in Steven's eyes told her the kind of "christening" he had in mind but she had been taking particular delight these last two months in making him spell out his meaning when it came to romancing her.

The day he had come back from Kelso's apartment and haltingly emptied his heart out to her had been the beginning of a new level in their relationship. That day he had told her how much he loved her and had always loved her. Painfully, he had revealed some of the insecurities which made it so difficult for him to trust in her love or trust in the concept of the kind of love that lasts a lifetime, but her proud Steven had asked for her help in working towards that goal. She in turn had opened up about her own fears which made her hold on too tightly to what she most dreads losing. Their reconciliation had been both scorching and melting as they made love to each other with their bodies, their words and their souls. In the aftermath of their passion, as she was cradled in his arms, a feeling of contentment she had not known since she was a small child settled upon her. It was as though Steven somehow transmitted some of his own "living in the moment" philosophy to her. Now that she was secure in the knowledge that Steven loved her, she was happy just to let go of her worries and plans because she knew it would all work out perfectly in the end.

"How can you say something like that?" Steven reproached (referring to the champagne breaking remark), "That's like me suggesting to you we light the fireplace with cash. No, I mean the other kind of christening."

Jackie gave him her wide-eyed innocent look as though his meaning was incomprehensible to such a sweet, gently nurtured girl, an attitude contradicted by her feet which were backing up towards the bedroom, closely followed by Hyde. When he suddenly grabbed her around the waist her smooth face broke into laughter and she showed herself as eager as he to christen their first new home.

_Well, it's been a slow creative process but I've finally made it to the last chapter. Thanks to all the people who gave me their reviews and to all the new people reading this story, keep the comments coming – I am a whore for reviews._


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